The 2025 Club Fair Kicks off the Year

by Jose Baixauli

Mr. Pugh poses with students at the 2023 Club Fair. (Photo Credit: Br. Eladio)

This week at Christopher Columbus High School, the annual club fair officially kicked off. The energy was electric as different students roamed the halls with sign-up papers, posters, and possibilities for their extracurricular life at Columbus. Every corner of the school was alive with activity - whether it was simply students finally being able to join a club after waiting all summer or the hundreds of clubs that Columbus has to offer represented with poster boards all over campus.

For students roaming the campus, it seemed like at every turn there was a poster board with passionate students trying to gather as many members as they could.

"There's certainly a lot of people going around, and it's so big because we have over 100 clubs...it's certainly grown," said Dr. Carter Burrus, who runs the Patriot Club.

With clubs as well as Honor Societies represented in the Cafeteria, 1st floor of the L Building, and Gym, the expansion of the club fair, and clubs in general at Columbus was on full display.

“In general, with the clubs, it's kind of cool that every single year there are more and more clubs that are being offered. I've noticed that every year since my freshman year there are more unique, cool clubs that allow you to find whatever you want to do," said Gonzalo Rodriguez ‘27.

Popular clubs among the student body, such as the Link and Key clubs, demonstrate the students' desire to serve and give back to the community. This club fair is a deep dive into what CCHS is really about, whether that be the passion, community, or brotherhood it holds; it's up to the students to figure out. There are over 100 clubs offered at the club fair, so all students can find a community of people who share similar interests.

“Honestly, we have so many clubs here. I mean, I'm actually so surprised at the fact that it’s 100 plus. I find that pretty insane for it being just a high school,” said Max Gonzalez ‘26.

Every club is run by a student or a group of students and a teacher moderator. Although the students have most of the responsibilities, they keep each club afloat, fostering community and friendship among the students. The responsibility also falls on the students to recruit club members. 

And although participating and leading clubs at CCHS teaches both responsibility and hard work, it is the friendships and growing of the brotherhood that seem to have the most lasting impact on students who participate in these extracurriculars.

“I'm messing around with my friends when I'm trying to promote my club. You're kind of killing two birds with one stone. You're having fun hangouts with your friends on school property, but at the same time, you're getting members for your club and you're building more relationships with people, which I think is super cool," Rodriguez said.

Every club serves a purpose beyond just building friendships, too, like the Link and Key clubs that are oriented to being service clubs, the Honor Societies, which aim to help outstanding students get recognition on the national level, and the clubs that are aimed to help students become future leaders and entrepreneurs, like DECA and FBLA.

Overall, the club fair drew strong participation from students, with many finding a club that matched their interests.